Thursday, 28 February 2013

Reuniting some works for the first time since their sale, it combines some of Lichtenstein's monumental icons alongside some less well known, quirky pieces (the little magnifying glass is my favourite!)

I love the first room, which shows some of Lichtenstein's early work - huge comic book paint splashes that establish a disconnect between calculated depiction and spontaneous brush stroke. Divorcing the artistic process from the subject,he would have painted this methodically and machine-like, dot after dot.

The rest of the exhibition is like a hall of mirrors - both literally, in 'the mirror room' and metaphorically, since most of Lichtenstein's oeuvre is about self reference - reflections, imitations, imitations of imitations, imitations of his own work, and so on.

Mirrored part of a 30's style sculpture

What I really like about it is the story his comic book tells. Just as we imagine the geeky cartoonist of Spider-Man elevating his status to superhero, Lichtenstein places himself in the artistic canon, by referencing Picasso and Matisse alongside himself, seemingly treating his own work with the same reverence.

The scale of Lichtenstein's canvases works perfectly for the Tate Modern exhibition space and you can whizz through the exhibition pretty leisurely without getting to that 'God I need a coffee / to sit down and I'm only half way through' point.

If you want to turn up to the exhibition as a massive hipster or feel inspired afterwards, here is my edit of Lichtenstein influenced pieces (some more for looking at than buying!):

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

This classic favour combination works really well: gamey duck, earthy truffle, creamy potatoes, irony spinach and a sweet, mellow port reduction binding them together. It is great for a romantic night in or a small dinner party (more than 6 duck breasts is a bit much to pan fry to perfection at one time). With this dish they key thing is to get really, really good quality duck, not your standard supermarket fillet, since they need to be tender and are the star of the show. In this kind of dish there is no dressing up ingredients with a mask of clever techniques and flavours, something I also love doing, but here each ingredient speaks for itself.

Ingredients (serves 2)

Duck and Sauce

2 high quality duck breasts (left uncovered over night in
the fridge to dry out)

Begin with the
pomme puree, a less arduous version of the triple sieved one I did with duck
legs here.
Bring
a pan of water to the boil. Place the potatoes in the boiling water. After 10
minutes check the potatoes - they should be soft enough that you can
poke a knife through them with no resistance. They will probably need 5-10 minutes
more.

Once soft enough, strain them and leave them to cool a bit. When cool enough, peel them with your hands by rubbing the skin off. If this is too
difficult you can use a knife to skin them instead.

Return them to the dry pan and mash them up. Place over a very
very low heat to warm up whilst stirring in the butter bit by bit. It should
begin to form a doughy puree.

The puree will be very thick. Slowly stir in as much milk as it
takes to bring it to the consistency that you like. Add a drop or 2 of truffle
oil (carefully because it is pretty potent stuff!). Seasonto
taste withsalt and
pepper and pass through a sieve into a heat proof bowl. Leave the
pomme puree over a bain-marie to keep warm while you move onto the duck.

The duck: take it out of the fridge, pat it dry with kitchen roll, and salt the skin side. Place the fillets skin side down in a cold frying pan, then begin to heat in on the hob with a medium flame.

After a couple of minutes, pour off the fat that has come off the duck into a jam jar to throw away later or use for roast potatoes.

Now, take a heavy and heat proof object to compress the duck, being careful not to burn yourself with any of the spitting fat. Keep pressing down on the meat and pouring off the fat when it accumulates - this ensures the skin is beautifully bronzed and crispy.

Continue doing this for 7 minutes, checking as you go along that the skin isn't browning too fast or burning (this cooking time is only a guideline and varies based on the pan type and flame intensity, so use your own judgement.) Once the skin is perfect, flip the breast over and cook for one more minute. You want the middle to be nice and pink. Leave on a board /plate to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Now onto the reduction, pour the wine and port into your hot duck pan and stir in the marmalade Get to the boil and reduce until shiny and around the right volume for 2 plates - maybe 1 1/2 big tablespoon of sauce each.

Finally, fry the spinach in butter for one minute, cover, turn the heat off and leave for a minute. Now everything is ready to be assembled.

Tuesday, 26 February 2013

A couple of weeks ago, I was swept away to Paris for the weekend. I've long loved Paris, but fell head over heels in love with it again when I visited last year to see a friend who lives there now. I had been wanting to go back ever since, so it was wonderful to find myself back there this year in startling sunlight rather than the predicted rain feeling very pleased indeed.

The galleries in Paris are some of my favourites in the world. Le Pompidou Centre currently has a Salvador Dali exhibition on, which is well worth the queue (over an hour) to get in. I usually make the trip over to Le Pompidou when I'm in Paris to say hello to a few old friends in the permanent collection. One of them is currently in London (Duchamp's urinal at The Barbican's Bride and The Bachelors exhibition so if you're not going to be in Paris for a bit, then do take the opportunity to see it).

We also skipped to The Louvre, which in my book must be treated either as a full on expedition or a fleeting visit to see old friends. I prefer the latter approach, as it's far too stressful to wander endless corridors in a museum with just one exit and no proper signposting. It was wonderful to see The Raft of the Medusa again and to remember some of my Art History lessons by teaching someone else - one of the greatest pleasures.

I'm not much of a shopper but I am a real sucker for window shopping in Paris. So many unusual gems to marvel over - and the best shops are apparently never open too so there's little risk of spending any euros on things which would only smash on the journey home. This organic ceramic shop can be found a short walk away from Le Pompidou. We also headed to The Vintage shops in Le Marrais near St. Paul metro. My friend Rosa's favourite is Coiffeur on Rue des Rosies, covered here along with some other gems if you are planning a trip.

Mainly when in Paris, I eat as many different kinds of pastry as I can find/ fit in my face at the expense of a few proper meals so I'll just tell you about the three best meals we had out during our stay - all of very different kinds. The first, we stumbled across entirely by accident when we were famished post-gallery.

It was about 3pm on a Sunday when we walked past Alain Ducasse's 'Aux Lyonnaise' and couldn't quite continue walking without going in to have an assiette de rosette de Lyon. Translation: A huge plate of Lyonnaise cured meat, sliced so fine that it practically melts on your tongue.

We washed this down with Rose Brut and were planning on ordering a simple green salad for good measure until we saw the splendour of this one and couldn't help ourselves.

The salad of king (prawns)

Our big planned meal was to be had at Le Train Bleu - the old station restaurant at Le Gare de Lyon. This place is a fantastic picture of Paris 1900 preserved. Your experience is heightened if you arrive in style (via Le Metro), as you slowly climb your way up from the filth, surrounded by travellers with their bags into a fully functioning train station when a neon sign - in this instance, with some of the lights blown out - alerts you to the entrance. If you didn't know what was inside, you'd think you were looking at the outside of the French equivalent to a station Wetherspoons until you enter.

Eating in old train coach seats adds to the experience

The service and the food are pretty much stuck in this era also which has its benefits as well as its downfalls (a couple of the dishes were more miss than hit). I'd recommend heading down here for a drink or dinner regardless, but have only photographed the decor for you now as it really is the best thing about the experience. Train travel was the height of luxury back in 1900. Each of the arches above the windows displays a different image from one of the destinations that Le Gare de Lyon used to travel to - these are typically 1900s France (i.e. borderline racist), but make for interesting historical viewing. The restaurant was built in celebration of the 1900 Universal Exhibition that Paris held in celebration of France's colonial prowess so it's little wonder that the room resembles the Sistine chapel remained Bourgeoisie style.

The third meal was had on our last night, very close to our Air BnB apartment in a little place called simply Cave Cafe at 134 Rue Marcadet. Here we had three courses the best French bistro food I've had in years, with cocktails and wine, all for under the equivalent of £40. We were the only non-French people in the place other than our Italian waitress, we were tucked cosily away in a little corner listening to bad French rock music played live out of the adjourning wine bar - the atmosphere was perfect.

We ate:

Soft cheese in a light pasta fold and mustard-dressed green salad.

Squid cooked in chorizo and chilli.

Slow cooked lamb leg with salsa verde, mash and courgette.

Entrecote steak with goose fat potatoes.

...and of course, acrème brûlée to share.

In the evenings, we headed to Pigalle to dance the night away. My current favourite venu is Le Carmen, which is the house that Carmen was written in, transformed into a drinking establishment and does a mean Amaretto Sour or Classic Champagne.

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Monday, 25 February 2013

The Attendant, Great Titchfield Street is the latest buzzy London cafe opening. If you have heard some or any of the hype, you'll be forgiven for thinking this little venture has taken the ironic Fitzrovia-feel a little too far. Yes, we are talking about a cafe run out of a disused public toilet, but before you dismiss this post as fad, let me assure you that it works.

What's not to like about a grandiose Victorian cast iron entrance? Once you've descended into the cafe itself, you'll be greeted with the overpowering scent of coffee, hot sandwiches, freshly made soup and baked goods so great, that any scepticism is immediately thrown off. Luck for you, as if you look behind you whilst standing at the counter to order, you'll see people sitting and eating on a surface supported by the original urinal divides... however with the smell of Caravan coffee still fresh in your nostrils, you laugh at this sweet touch, rather than shuddering at its implications.

Really, it works.

Handy...

The head chef is ex Pollen Street social, so this really is food you can trust. I've heard colleagues raving about their pulled pork and am assured that I have to go back for their French Toast when I'm hung over and looking for a pre-work fix.

Great (or shall we say accessible) sense of humour, but then again that was obvious
from the off

Go down and check it out for yourself. Take someone and give them a little shock, before the treats to follow. Enjoy... and keep your eye out for even more exciting things from these guys in the Summer. I'll keep the details of their plan hush hush for now, but suffice to say, they're planning on giving McDonald's Drive Thru's a run for their money.

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Thursday, 21 February 2013

...and the one dish wonders continue. This time with Flat Iron, Beak Street's latest. On the menu:

Steak (cooked as you like)

Chips fried in dripping

Green salad in a tiny, tiny glass

Bearnaise, peppercorn or Bill's sauce

C'est tout!

Dripping popcorn to whet your appetite as you decide on your order (though if that takes long, you must have had one too many pre-dinner cocktails. It's pretty much steak, or... steak.)

I used to live very close to Le Relais de Venise in Marylebone, so I'm no stranger to a menu tha only has serves "steak, frite et salade". I have to say, I prefer the secret sauce served at Le Relais (and, of course, the second helpings). However everything else about Flat Iron is infitintely superior, starting with the price. There's a lot to be said for £10 steak and salad especially when it's so darn good, the service is so wonderfully friendly (expect typical Parisian service at Le Relais - ouch!) and the wine so well selected and priced.

The other wonderful thing about flat Iron is that it's not novelty. It's good quality, healthy (ish... in the grand scheme of recent openings) food that you can come back to again and again. Once the hype has died down, it's a pretty fast fix before your night out and the cocktail bar upstairs is fantastic. Much like Duck and Waffle, it'll have people coming back, not just bubble-dogging it down there to tick a box, tweet-boast and buy the metaphorical T-shirt.

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

I have grown to really love jelly thanks to Bompas and Parr's inspiring book, Jelly, whose simple naming belies some seriously complex jelly mongering inside. Since experimenting with many of their recipes, I have recently flown the nest and authored some of my own, guided by their extremely reliable liquid : gelatin ratio. This recent experiment with raspberry Kir preserved the bubbles excellently, so I'd thought I'd share: if you let it melt on your tongue it comes alive and gives you little fizzy bursts of bubbly. Most of the alcohol isn't heated so it should give yo a little headiness too!If you have any edible gold dust to coat the raspberries, that would look great, and give it a fizzy champagne look (see my 'shooting starberry jelly') but I couldn't find mine yesterday... anyway, here is the recipe:

Cut up your gelatin into little pieces and submerge in a heat proof bowl with the kir - bubbly mix. Leave for 10 minutes.

Next place the bowl with the gelatin over a small pan of simmering water and allow the gelatin to dissolve completely. Stir so that all the gelatin is dissolved. Take off the heat and leave to stand for 2 minutes to cool a bit.

Now pour the rest of the bubbly over it, stir, and pass the whole mix through a sieve into a jug.

Now, if you have some gold dust take a spoon of it, dip your finger in it and gently smudge it over your raspberries.

You can now begin filling the mold. The berries float to the top, so to have them running through, you have to do it in stages. I quite like this one to have them all at the bottom of the mold though - as photographed. First fill it 1/3 full and place some of the berries in it, place in the fridge to cool until quite set.

Meanwhile keep the remaining mix at room temperature and repeat the above stage until you have used all the berries and mix.

If by any chance your remaining mix should set in the room (this is unlikely but possible if its a very cold day) you can melt it again by transferring it to a heatproof bowl and placing over a pan of simmering water.